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US 12,438,609 B2Granted
Optical tapping in an indexing architecture
AssigneeCommScope Technologies LLC
InventorErik J. Gronvall
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An indexing system includes an indexing component; a redundant optical path; and a fiber tap arrangement. Multiple indexing components can be daisy-chained together in the indexing system. The redundant optical path is created between any forward port and any rearward port in the network. Multiple redundant optical paths can be created within the network. One or more tap arrangements can be disposed along each redundant optical path. Accordingly, feed signals in a bidirectional indexing environment can be supplied to each drop line along the redundant optical path from either direction without recabling.
Claims18
A system comprising:
- a plurality of indexing terminals, each indexing terminal including an input, a pass-through output, and a drop output, and each indexing terminal indexing optical fibers between the input and the pass-through output while at least one drop fiber is routed to the drop output, the indexing terminals being daisy-chained together so that the input of a subsequent indexing terminal in the chain is connected to the pass-through output of a prior indexing terminal in the chain;
- a plurality of tap arrangements daisy-chained together, each of the tap arrangements directing a first portion of a feed signal received at an input of the tap arrangement to a pass-through line and directing a second portion of the feed signal to a drop line, the plurality of tap arrangements including a first tap arrangement that is optically coupled to the drop output of one of the indexing terminals;
- and
- wherein the plurality of index terminals and the plurality of tap arrangements are part of a passive optical network, and wherein the drop lines are configured to carry the second portions of the feed signal to locations remote from the tap arrangements, and wherein the second portions of the feed signal carried by the drop lines are optical signals;
- wherein the plurality of tap arrangements includes a second tap arrangement at an end of the daisy-chain of tap arrangements, the second tap arrangement being optically coupled to another drop output of the one of the indexing terminals and wherein the drop output of the one of the indexing terminals is a forward drop output and the another drop output of the one of the indexing terminals is a rearward drop output so that the daisy-chain of tap arrangements form a redundant path for the system.
2 more elements
A system comprising:
- a plurality of indexing terminals, each indexing terminal including an input, a pass-through output, and a drop output, and each indexing terminal indexing optical fibers between the input and the pass-through output while at least one drop fiber is routed to the drop output, the indexing terminals being daisy-chained together so that the input of a subsequent indexing terminal in the chain is connected to the pass-through output of a prior indexing terminal in the chain;
- a plurality of tap arrangements daisy-chained together, each of the tap arrangements directing a first portion of a feed signal received at an input of the tap arrangement to a pass-through line and directing a second portion of the feed signal to a drop line, the plurality of tap arrangements including a first tap arrangement that is optically coupled to the drop output of one of the indexing terminals;
- and
- wherein the plurality of index terminals and the plurality of tap arrangements are part of a passive optical network, wherein the plurality of tap arrangements includes a second tap arrangement at an end of the daisy-chain of tap arrangements, the second tap arrangement being optically coupled to another drop output of the one of the indexing terminals and wherein the drop output of the one of the indexing terminals is a forward drop output and the another drop output of the one of the indexing terminals is a rearward drop output so that the daisy-chain of tap arrangements form a redundant path for the system.
1 more element
A system comprising:
- a plurality of indexing terminals, each indexing terminal including an input, a pass-through output, and a drop output, and each indexing terminal indexing optical fibers between the input and the pass-through output while at least one drop fiber is routed to the drop output, the indexing terminals being daisy-chained together so that the input of a subsequent indexing terminal in the chain is connected to the pass-through output of a prior indexing terminal in the chain;
- a plurality of tap arrangements daisy-chained together, each of the tap arrangements directing a first portion of a feed signal received at an input of the tap arrangement to a pass-through line and directing a second portion of the feed signal to a drop line, the plurality of tap arrangements including a first tap arrangement that is optically coupled to the drop output of one of the indexing terminals;
- and
- wherein the plurality of index terminals and the plurality of tap arrangements are part of a passive optical network, wherein the plurality of tap arrangements includes a second tap arrangement at an end of the daisy-chain of tap arrangements, the second tap arrangement being optically coupled to another drop output of the one of the indexing terminals and wherein the drop output of the one of the indexing terminals is a forward drop output and the drop output of the another of the indexing terminals is a rearward drop output so that the daisy-chain of tap arrangements form a redundant path for the system.
1 more element
A system comprising:
- a plurality of indexing terminals, each indexing terminal including an input, a pass-through output, and a drop output, and each indexing terminal indexing optical fibers between the input and the pass-through output while at least one drop fiber is routed to the drop output, the indexing terminals being daisy-chained together so that the input of a subsequent indexing terminal in the chain is connected to the pass-through output of a prior indexing terminal in the chain;
- a plurality of tap arrangements daisy-chained together, each of the tap arrangements directing a first portion of a feed signal received at an input of the tap arrangement to a pass-through line and directing a second portion of the feed signal to a drop line, the plurality of tap arrangements including a first tap arrangement that is optically coupled to the drop output of one of the indexing terminals;
- and
- wherein the plurality of index terminals and the plurality of tap arrangements are part of a passive optical network, wherein each tap arrangement includes a first coupler, a second coupler, and a 2×N optical splitter, wherein the first coupler taps off a portion of a signal from a first fiber line in a first direction and the second coupler taps off a portion of a signal from a second fiber line in a second direction, the portions of the signals being directed to the 2×N splitter.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.